V is for Vegan

Photo from veganfoodpyramid.com

Our family became vegan last September when we developed some nasty allergies to dairy and eggs. We have been vegetarian for 30+ years and were vegan for about 15 of those years because of our daughter's dairy allergy but it was so easy to slip back into eating cheese and eggs when darling daughter left home. Well, the allergies took care of that!

I found the Wikipedia definition of vegan interesting...

Veganism (/ˈviːgənɪzəm/) is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, as well as an associated philosophy that rejects thecommodity status of sentient animals. A follower of veganism is known as a vegan.

Distinctions are sometimes made between different categories of veganism. Dietary vegans (or strict vegetarians) refrain from consuming animal products, not only meat and fish but, in contrast to ovo-lacto vegetarians, also eggs, dairy products and other animal-derived substances, such as honey. The term ethical vegan is often applied to those who not only follow a vegan diet, but extend the vegan philosophy into other areas of their lives, and oppose the use of animals or animal products for any purpose.^[1] Another term used is environmental veganism, which refers to the rejection of animal products on the premise that the harvesting or industrial farming of animals is environmentally damaging and unsustainable.^[2]

According to this definition, we are dietary vegans or strict vegetarians. We do not eat meat, dairy or eggs but do eat honey. 

I love the illustration above because it really answers the question, "If you are a vegan, what do you eat?!!!" We eat LOTS of fruits and vegetables; grains; nuts and legumes. When we need or want to use a milk-like substance we use Coconut Milk or Rice Milk--Coconut Milk is my favorite. I use EnerG Egg Replacer  or ground flax seed to replace eggs in recipes. And those times when we just want a little "cheese" we have found Daiya to be an acceptable substitute. I recently found out that some Costcos are carrying Daiya in their deli section. Thank you Costco!

In researching for this article (aka Googling), I discovered an ABC News page called 19 Vegan Celebrities. Some of the names listed were: 

• Mike Tyson
• Anne Hathaway
• Natalie Portman
• Jessica Chastain
• Betty White
• Woody Harrelson
• Tobey Maguire
• Carrie Underwood

My favorite food is pizza! Sad, isn't it? We live 45 minutes from the nearest pizza place so purchase take and bake pizzas from Papa Murphy's. Now that we are vegan, we just ask for the Gourmet Vegetarian with red sauce and no cheese! Some franchises offer a couple of extra toppings in lieu of cheese; others don't! Tonight we had a delicious pizza which hubby bought on his way home with a huge green salad made by moi!

Interested in trying some vegan dishes? Try one of these:

• Mizidra
• Quinoa Taco Burger
• Scrambled Tofu

See you tomorrow for the letter W!

Kat